Commercial Kitchen Design

WE ARE CUSTOM DESIGN CONSULTANTS FOR COMMERCIAL KITCHENS AND RESTAURANTS

​United Restaurant Supply, located in Colorado, has an entire department devoted to commercial kitchen and restaurant design, while providing industry leading restaurant equipment . The United Restaurant Supply team will work with you to design a restaurant that enhances your operation and optimizes your menu and service. From drawings to installation, we can provide everything from your equipment to tables and china. Let us help you design your dream restaurant.

"Hire Our Team of Consulting and Planning Experts For Your Restaurants Kitchen Design"

COMMERCIAL KITCHEN DESIGN 101

​Whether remodeling a commercial kitchen or designing a new restaurant, it’s important for business owners to identify their concept, choose the correct equipment, pay attention to the details and appropriately plan their project.​

IDENTIFY THE CONCEPT

​A strong business concept is a necessity to planning a restaurant. The concept determines the type of kitchen to build, the flow of the kitchen, the space the kitchen needs and the type of menu the kitchen will serve. The difference between how a commissary kitchen will flow verses a small coffee shop is an obvious example of how a concept impacts the design process. Think about the easiest way to get food out of the kitchen as well as the easiest way to get dirty dishes back into the kitchen based on the concept. A commissary kitchen will run a very different type of service than a small coffee shop. The space needed, the type of equipment and where the equipment is located will vary considerably between concepts. Although the commissary kitchen verses a coffee shop is a clear example, it remains true even in more similar concepts. For instance, a bar that is serving french fries and onion rings on their menu may get more benefit from a different fryer than a bar that is only serving french fries. Having a strong business concept is the first step in the design process and determining the equipment a restaurant will need.

CHOOSE THE CORRECT EQUIPMENT

​The menu, kitchen space, utilities available and safety regulations determine the type of equipment needed for the kitchen. For example, the health and building departments in one area may determine that a building must have a hood while in another location, inspections will be passed without one. Knowing your local departments’ expectations will help you to choose the correct equipment. It can be appealing to cut corners on kitchen equipment by purchasing low-end equipment; however, the life of the equipment and the cost to operate it may offset the difference in expense. It’s also important to think about the types of cold and dry storage space needed for the restaurant. Reviewing each piece of equipment to ensure it efficiently stores and produces the items on your menu while keeping food and labor costs down is a significant part of kitchen design. Make sure the equipment purchased is the correct equipment for the concept, building location and kitchen space.

DETAILS MATTER

​Mistakes are expensive. The way to avoid mistakes during construction is to pay attention to the details. Things like the structure and materials in a building can make a big difference in what equipment you need to purchase as well as the layout of a kitchen. For instance, the mechanicals of an existing building may impede the flow of the kitchen. The utility connections may dictate where the equipment goes. If that placement doesn’t make sense, it might be necessary to overhaul the mechanicals to allow for a better flowing kitchen. It’s important to know all the details of the space before equipment is ordered to ensure that equipment doesn’t have to be reordered due to changes. Not knowing there is a beam on the mechanicals or measuring mill work incorrectly can cost thousands of dollars to fix. Knowing the details prior to construction will help keep project costs within budget.

PROJECT COSTS

​Project costs are a stressful part of kitchen design. It’s important to understand the cost of construction to ensure a budget is planned correctly and includes some room for unforeseen construction issues. If necessary, a commercial kitchen design can be value engineered to make a project more affordable. Looking at the necessities verses wants in a project can eliminate expenses that are unnecessary. For instance, it may make sense to add equipment that isn’t essential at a later date. Value engineering includes choosing different pieces of equipment to perform a task in a kitchen or spending more money on one piece of equipment to replace multiple pieces in a kitchen, in turn, saving money. Keep in mind that it’s important to carefully value engineer a project so that the kitchen still runs efficiently.

Choosing a construction team that understands all facets of designing a restaurant saves both time and money by eliminating mistakes and helping to determine the necessary equipment to purchase. Each detail of commercial kitchen design enables owners to create an ideal operation within a specified budget. Whether remodeling a commercial kitchen or designing a new restaurant, it’s important for business owners to identify their concept, choose the correct equipment, pay attention to the details and appropriately plan their project.